ICC CLASSIFIES CRIMEA AS BEING UNDER OCCUPATION

17.11.16

In a “Report on Preliminary Examination Activities (2016)” published by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Tuesday, the annexation of Crimea was recognised as a military conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and the region classified as an occupation.

The report, prepared by the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, adds that “the Russian federation employed members of its armed forces to gain control over parts of the territory of Ukraine without the consent of the government of Ukraine.”

These are important legal recognitions even at this stage in the proceedings. Within 24 hours of the report’s publication, Russia announced that it would be withdrawing its signature from the ICC statute.

The Report can be read here with the section on Ukraine being on pp.33-42.